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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674357">After Wakanda: Tying Loose Ends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMSKProject/pseuds/TheMSKProject'>TheMSKProject</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Marvel MSK Project [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath, Angst, Cute Loki (Marvel), Domestic Fluff, Domestic Loki, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Madephen Grange, Marvel MSK, Mostly Fluff, Soki Laufack, Thate Sweedinson, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:14:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMSKProject/pseuds/TheMSKProject</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taking place after the battle of Infixity War, Life goes on, and of course, someone else will surely seek to harm the universe, but for now, there's peace. So how do things Settle?<br/>Guess it's time to find out~</p><p>This book is pure fluff of the engagements and weddings of the crew, well mostly, Thate has some angst.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s), Loki (Marvel)/Sarah Ridgeback (Marvel MSK), Stephen Strange/Madeline Grimmwell (Marvel MSK), Stephen Strange/Original Female Character(s), Thor (Marvel) &amp; Original Female Character(s), Thor (Marvel)&amp;Catherine Sweadner (Marvel MSK), Thor (Marvel)/Catherine Sweadner (Marvel MSK)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Marvel MSK Project [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1392154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Forward, to Whom it May Concern</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To Whom it may concern, </p><p>I'm writing this as a statement for the ages, for when everything is long forgotten in the pages of a textbook, and I've retired somewhere quiet to finish my days in peace. The war is over, Thanos was stopped.  The Infinity Stones have been moved to safe keeping, most of which even I don't know where they went, mostly for the safety of everyone, should I be compromised, whoever defeats me can not learn the location of all the universes precious secrets. But the few I do know, the Time Stone, is safe in Kamar Taj, the Reality Stone is kept in the vault beneath the New York Sanctum. and the Space Stone is kept under lock and key in Nyrheim.<br/>
Ah the next question of importance, the new Kingdom. Nyrheim is a Kingdom of two Kingdoms, Norðri Nyrheim and Suðri Nyrheim. Thor, King of Norðri, rules alone. Suðri's monarch is also technically a lone ruler, but Loki is betrothed to Sarah, having proposed last Christmas, and the Kingdom is bustling with festivities for the occassion. Thor's council has pressed him to find a Queen likewise... but we all know he has eyes for only one, and she rejects him.<br/>
The Madegarcy is running smoothly, and the army is already growing strong. Sarah maintains connections with the UN, working on having Nyrheim recognized as an independent Nation of it's own. This should be achieved within the next 3 years, should everything go smoothly. The Asgardians have remained in a medieval layout, still traveling by foot and horseback. And the draw of the magical Kingdom has brought forth many groups of once thought mythical creatures out of hiding. Most take sanctuary in Norðri, and centaur generals have already bolstered the ranks of the cavalry.<br/>
Cate remains in Nyrheim, drifting between the two castles as she settles into normal life with her new abilities.<br/>
The first elected councils of both kingdoms were chosen just last week, and already set to work in tandem with either King's chosen council. When the people have a concern, it reaches legislature in record time.</p><p>The Avengers are stable once again, having thankfully avoided the dissolution I saw on one of the many timelines. Sarah seemed to hold them together. With her new duties as Queen-to-be, her apprentice Travis has taken her place, the poor boy is in way over his head, but has been surviving... for the most part.<br/>
Steve and Bucky finally said the words to one another, and are happily enjoying the peace we've found ourselves in. Vision and Wanda have similarly been taking time for themselves. Clint goes between his home in the country and the tower, keeping in touch with Natasha who has taken up a more hands on tactical support roll. When they're needed, Sarah and Loki assist on short missions for Fury, and Mr. Cyclops, as Maddie calls him, keeps a hawk watch on the Kingdoms, not yet trusting the Southern King, much to Ridgeback's annoyance. </p><p>Kamar Taj has taken new recruits, Wong overseeing much of their training, while other Masters work to fill in the gap left by The Ancient One's absence. and as for me.<br/>
I, Stephen Strange, am keeping watch on the multiverse with my wife and companion.....</p><p>"Who is currently being... very... distracting"<br/>
"you love me."<br/>
Maddie purrs, shuffling herself into his lap so he can't possibly reach his work, pawing at his chest.<br/>
"I'm bored.. Wanna explore a planet?"<br/>
Stephen can only smile, a chuckle rumbling in his throat as he watches her fiddle with the collar of his shirt.<br/>
"What planet did you have in mind?"<br/>
"We could go back to Trakadar...?"<br/>
"Alright, but no more pets."<br/>
As if on cue, Teto makes a chirping mew and jumps onto the desk.<br/>
"Stephen, you're asking too much of me."<br/>
"I believe in you."<br/>
The scruff of his chin on her neck has her squirming away.<br/>
"Oh-!-Quit-"<br/>
"Or what?"<br/>
"I'll make you."<br/>
"Oh~~"<br/>
"I said-Cease!"<br/>
and in a scramble akin to that of a cat fleeing a bathtub she manages to free her body from his grip, shaking herself off shortly after as a sharp gaze is cast over her shoulder.<br/>
"Alright.. alright... Let's go. I can finish this later."<br/>
He takes the page and slips it into a drawer in his desk, hazel eyes following his movements.<br/>
"You won't remember where you put that."<br/>
"I will too."<br/>
"You sure?... Silver Streak?"<br/>
"Why you-"<br/>
"EEEP"<br/>
"Get Back Here!!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Power Proposition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cate's enjoying life in Nyrheim, but as of late has been battling jealousy. Maddie and Stephen have their spot as the Sorcerers Supreme, Loki and Sarah ruled the Southern Kingdom, and Thor was ruling in the North. She had new goddess powers sure, but she was feeling a little left out.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This Short's POV is Cate, First Person</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>    I was angry with myself for being angry. It was a vicious cycle, filled with what was certainly an unhealthy amount of sulking, but most of all it was filled with guilt. I should be happy. And for a while, I had been. At Loki and Sarah’s betrothal, I had been on top of the world, sparing no congratulations to the practically newlyweds. It had been a great time, for all of us, but once the festivities winded down, I couldn't help but feel bitter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Typically, I drifted between the two castles, visiting with my friends as it suited me. Sometimes I even crashed at Valkyrie’s place when the kings were driving me crazy. However, I had been staying with Thor for much longer than I usually would, mostly because I wanted to give Loki and Sarah space. During my time with Thor, I had given up trying to pretend I wasn't being a pissbaby, and had instead taken to openly seething in front of him. This, as it turns out, was a mistake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Please just tell me what's wrong,” he insisted, causing me to shuffle away from him for the fifth time in the past two minutes. “You know you can always talk to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I know, I know, but I don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to,” I grumbled, “You'd just write it off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No I wouldn’t,” he finally gave up on trying to move closer to me, “I wouldn't. I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Thor, I just need some space, okay?” I sighed. He opened his mouth to say something else, but ultimately honored my request and left the room, cape trailing behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    It was nice of him to try and be a supportive friend, but he wasn't the person I needed to talk to right now. Despite his promise, I knew he'd try and pull the moral card on me. To tell the truth, ever since our little fight on Sakaar, I’d been hesitant to show any displays of selfish motivation towards him. Even though we'd apologized, I was trying not to reinforce the negative opinions of me he'd had. “I'm a good person, I swear,” I muttered to myself. At this point I wasn't really sure if I believed that. The thoughts weighing on my mind recently were about as selfish as you could get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    But even I couldn't deny that I needed advice, just not from Thor, so I made the same trip across the kingdom that I had made countless times, hoping I wouldn't be interrupting anyone. The lights on the bottom floor of Loki’s castle were on, but no one answered when I went to knock on the door. I tried a couple more times, still no answer. With a sigh, I made my way around the side of the building, trying to peek in between the gaps of the curtains. “Loki? Sarah? Hello?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I'm not sure what compelled me to make my next move. Impatience? Anger? Sheer urge to do something stupid? Maybe all three? Regardless of my motives, I was soon launching myself through the window, glass exploding across the floor. “LOKI??”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Sarah, who was reading on one of the nearby couches, took out one of her earbuds and stared at me, not with shock, but with disappointment. “Cate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sarah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” she closed her book and walked over to offer me a hand, “Why didn't you just use the door?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “A window is just a creative door,” I grabbed her hand and hauled myself up, brushing some glass off my armor, “Plus I knocked and you didn't answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sorry, I was listening to music,” she explained, “You didn't have to go and break my windows.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Windows can be fixed,” I shrugged it off and smiled at my friend, “How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I'm good, how about you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I'm good, thanks,” I nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    She closed her book and asked, “So what brings you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I'm doing real bad, Sarah,” I confessed, contradictory to my earlier answer, “But don't worry, I just need to talk to Loki for a bit. ...Where is he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Upstairs in our room, but... Cate, what's wrong?” she started to get up, mom friend mode already activated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Nothing,” I held out a hand to stop her, “Just pretend I didn't mention it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cate, you know I can't do that,” she shook her head and crossed her arms, “Now tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Maybe Loki will tell you if you're lucky,” I tried to skirt around her to get upstairs, but she blocked me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What is it that Loki can know but I can't?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” I finally managed to dodge around her, racing up the steps before she could stop me. I felt bad for making her worry, but I'm sure I was making it a bigger deal than it was. This is what I get for vocalizing my problems, I suppose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I knocked on the bedroom door, a quiet “Come in” sounding from inside. Taking a few steps into the room, I spied Loki standing by the window. He turned to look at me, eyebrows raising slightly when he realized who it was. “I suspect that crashing sound I heard downstairs can be attributed to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You know me so well,” I grinned, pushing the door closed behind me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Loki sighed but didn't press the matter further. He'd gotten used to my shenanigans in all the time we'd known each other. “What brings you here? It's been a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I skipped the small talk and cut straight to the issue, “I need some advice. And if you can't do that, then I just need to get something off my chest.” I crossed the room to stand next to him, propping my elbows on the windowsill and sighing dramatically. I was in a bad mood, and he was going to realize it if it killed me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Go on then, I'll see what I can do,” he muttered, “But why not ask Maddie or Sarah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Because I chose to talk to you,” I huffed, “I feel like you'll judge me less.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Are you sure about that?” he snickered. When I didn't laugh, or react at all, rather, he cleared his throat and returned to the topic at hand, “Well. Go on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    It dawned on me that I didn't quite know how to articulate what I'd been thinking these past few weeks. Perhaps I should've made bullet points for myself, or a PowerPoint presentation, anything so that I didn't sound like an emotional rambling idiot. “So. After you two got engaged and Sarah was coronated, I've just been feeling.... what's the word... unfulfilled? I know I'm a god and I'm living in this glamorous kingdom with some of my best friends, but somehow I'm not satisfied with that, even though I should be-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “It's fine to not be satisfied,” he interrupted, “But tell me, what would satisfy you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” I admitted, relaxing my posture as I drummed my fingers on the ledge, “It's just that Maddie and Stephen reside over the New York sanctum together and study the mystic arts and you and Sarah are betrothed and ruling your part of the kingdom in your pretty little castle, and you all seem so happy. I don't understand why I can't just shut up and be happy for my friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He nodded along with what I was saying, wordlessly prompting for me to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Everyone else just looks like their lives are so </span>
  <em>
    <span>complete</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and I'm just an artificial god bouncing between houses because no one can tolerate me for more than a few weeks at a time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “That seems a bit harsh,” he grumbled, “Why would you assume no one likes having you around? Because I assure you, your friends really do care about you, Thor especially. He's worried about you, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Dammit, did he tell you I was sulking around?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “He may have... mentioned it,” Loki shrugged, “But may I ask you a question? Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be a queen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Stop, it sounds so stupid and selfish when I say it out loud,” I groaned, rolling my eyes at my own exhausting nature, “But yes. I do. Very much so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “So let me get this straight. You feel unfulfilled because you think all your friends are doing more with their lives and you want to be a queen because you don't want to be obsolete and powerless compared to the rest of us?” he guessed, and I hated how accurate it was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Maybe so...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He turned to face me, face softening into what seemed to be a genuine expression, “Do you trust me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I scoffed, taking a step back, “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “How about just this once?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “...Depends on what you're proposing,” I narrowed my eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I think... I know how to fix your problem,” he smirked, his typical cunning aura returning, “I understand what the issue is, so just leave it to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>    A week after Loki’s cryptic answer, he invited me, Thor, Maddie, and Stephen over to the castle for dinner. He presented it as a formal occasion, despite the six of us usually being fairly casual around each other. Regardless, an excuse to dress up is an excuse to dress up, and it's also an excuse to get out of the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   Thor and I showed up last, thanks to me having to usher him out the door later than anticipated. The man had put a total of ten minutes into his appearance and was still down to the wire when it came to getting ready. So much for me trying to show up a few minutes early. Our friends were already seated around the table, several meal options piled in the center. They'd really gone all out for this. Was there some secret occasion or was Loki just being especially fancy? Somehow, I had the awful feeling that it had something to do with our conversation a while back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Maddie, having not seen me in a while, greeted me with the friendliest of hugs that nearly sent me careening backwards into Thor. “It's good to see you too....” I gasped as my lungs were compressed under her affectionate force. “How long have you guys been here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “A few minutes,” she let go and led me to the table, where Stephen offered us a wave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sorry we’re late,” I glared at Thor, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>This one</span>
  </em>
  <span> lost track of time.” We both took a seat while Loki snickered at my comment, but Thor didn't respond. Sarah began passing the dishes around and started up some conversation about some good book she wanted to recommend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    We all went around the table, laughing and sharing stories, like friends do, so then why did this feel so off to me? Maddie seemed to notice I wasn’t talking as much, making an extra effort to include me in the conversation. The only person being less social than me was Thor, which was quite a shock. In fact, he’d barely touched his food since the start of the dinner, occasionally poking at something with his fork before becoming disinterested.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Cate? Hello? Cate!” I snapped back into reality when Loki began trying to get my attention from across the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sorry,” I turned back to face forward in my chair and cleared my throat, “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sarah asked you a question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Can you repeat it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I was just asking if you’d broken any more windows since the last time you came over,” she joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Don’t tempt me,” I grinned, getting in on the conversation before something else could distract me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “She broke a window?” Stephen glanced between us, looking for one of us to explain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I beat Sarah to it, knowing she would make me look bad given the opportunity, “I knocked and no one answered the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “And so you </span>
  <em>
    <span>jumped through the window</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “....Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He said something else after that, but I didn’t catch it. Instead, I had noticed Loki mouthing something to Thor, gesturing angrily at his brother while trying to stay quiet. I couldn’t make out what he was trying to communicate, but I certainly was not a fan of the secrets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I tried to return to my conversation with Stephen and Sarah, when Thor obnoxiously clearing his throat caused the whole table to become silent. “If I could have everyone’s attention, I have something I’d like to say.” He stood, pushing his chair out from behind him and sticking his hands into his pockets. “Cate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Mhm?” I took a huge sip of water while I waited for him to continue. By the time I realized he was getting down on one knee, it was too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Will you marry me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I coughed, the sheer force of the shock I’d just experienced threatening to drive the air from my lungs. Excited cheering erupted from the other side of the table as Maddie and Sarah lept to their feet, clinging onto each other in anticipation. Loki was grinning like a bastard, while Stephen looked more surprised than delighted by Thor’s announcement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I slowly spit the water back into my glass, finding myself incapable of swallowing. I set it gently on the table, stood, and demanded, “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Thor shifted to maintain his balance, still holding out a ring in front of him. I hadn’t given it much notice before, and it was certainly stunning, but I could hardly focus on it when he repeated the question. “Will you marry me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Maddie began shaking Sarah’s shoulders, whispering, “Say yes. Say yes. Say yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Loki’s smile dropped as Maddie slowly let go of Sarah. I didn’t see how this situation could get any more awkward, but then Loki disproved that theory by asking, “Wait, no? What do you mean no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    When Thor didn’t put the ring away, I sighed, “I mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Listen, Thor, I don’t- Where the hell is this even coming from? We don’t... We have never had that kind of relationship. We’re just friends, there’s nothing else </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” I gestured between the two of us. “So I don’t understand, and I’m not going to marry you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Thor glanced as his brother, who only dipped his head in response. He was on his own. “Well... Marriage doesn’t have to be romantic! You could just platonically marry me. We’re good friends, and we live together anyway, so...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “So what’s the difference? Why go through all the trouble?” As soon as I finished talking, it clicked. A crown. That’s the difference. Thor’s a king, and if I marry him, that would make me Queen of Norðri Nyrheim. He’s right that we already do live together, so would having a throne and a new piece of rather radiant jewelry really be so bad?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I could feel all five of my friends looking at me, and I wondered if they were as uncomfortable with this situation as I was. Reaching out, I took the ring from him and slowly slid it onto my hand, examining the way it glimmered under the light. “Power marriage,” I decided. It didn’t need to have any label other than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Alright,” Thor got back to his feet, expression difficult to read, “A power marriage it is, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Great,” I turned to the door and pressed the gem in my crown to activate my helmet, which I typically wore while I was outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Where are you going?” Sarah asked, still standing between Maddie and Loki, a hand on each of their shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Out,” I said, not wanting to deal with this atmosphere anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Once outside, I barely made it ten feet before I was stopped by someone calling after me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw none other than Loki marching up behind me. “What do you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I must confess, that didn’t go quite as I had planned,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I knew you were behind that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Well, I encouraged him to do it, but obviously he wouldn’t have if he didn’t want to in the first place. But congratulations, you’re a queen,” he threw his hands in the air, “Or you will be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “And isn’t that what I wanted? Was that not the plan?” I crossed my arms, “We’re engaged. What more do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cate, I think maybe it’s time to consider that Thor-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Loki, listen, I should get going.” I had begun backing away from him without realizing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No, I really think he-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I left before he could finish, taking off in the other direction while actively tuning him out. It was a bit of an impulsive decision, agreeing to marry Thor, and while the rewards seemed promising, I didn’t want to reflect on it. I just hoped I wouldn’t come to regret it.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Formal Introductions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A Small flashback to how Cate and Thor got Introduced.<br/>Cate's POV<br/>Takes place between chapters 6 &amp; 7 of <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/19226149/chapters/45713170">A How to in Avenging (A book that can be found here! and the beginning of this entire Marvel MSK AU)</a></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey everyone! Sorry things got so radio silent! Hoping to get some chapters out for a nice Thor Arc to start this after book off!<br/>So here's a short flashback to get back into the groove!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>    I took liberties when it came to restricted areas. The worst that ever came of it was a talking to from Coulson about how I need to ‘respect the authority of the regulations blah blah listen to me because I’m a SHIELD agent.’ I usually didn’t listen to him. Besides, if Sarah had been allowed back here, surely so was I.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Making my way through the final set of doors, I marched out into the room where the supposedly evil god was being kept in a fish bowl- Sorry, my bad, highly secure SHIELD containment facility that he definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> get out of later. He noticed me as soon as I came in, but said nothing until I was standing directly in front of the glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Hey-” I began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Let me stop you there,” he spat, less than pleased to see me, “Whatever tricks you think you’re going to pull on me, it won’t work. Your people have already sent that other girl to try and get information out of me, and you can ask her for yourself how well that went.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Short? Glasses?” I held my hand about a foot above the ground for emphasis.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“That’s the one.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Yeah, that’s Sarah-”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“And now they send </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He glared at me, taking a moment to conclude that I wasn’t worth shit to him, before scoffing, “I thought they’d send people a bit more qualified. Honestly, this is more insulting than anything else.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>I shrugged it off, “Heard Rogers kicked your ass. That’s got to be more insulting than anything I could ever do to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>No response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “It’s cool, I don’t like him either. He’s so.... Virtuous, it’s gross,” I grimaced, then straightened my posture to put on my best Steve Rogers impression, “Oh heck! The world is in danger! Good thing my good morals and stellar patriotism will protect us all! God bless the USA!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He seemed slightly amused, but did his best to cover it up, “No, stop it. You can’t just parade around, making fun of Captain America because you think it’ll make me like you. If you want information so badly, try a little harder.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I laughed and took a seat in front of him, “I’m not trying to interrogate you, I got bored. I’ve never seen a god up close, and honestly, I’m a little underwhelmed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “...You haven’t spoken to Thor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I’ve seen him around, but we've only spoken a little. Nothing I consider a real conversation. I believe he only showed up around the same time as you did,” I muttered, “Anyway, you must be Loki. Nice to finally meet you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You may take that back soon,” he warned, stepping closer to the glass, “You don’t seem-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I reached into my pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, “Solitaire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Something about this request must’ve set him off, as he slammed his hand against the wall and shouted, “Enough! Whatever you’re trying to do, enough! I’m not playing whatever ridiculous game you want me to take part in! We are not </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we are not </span>
  <em>
    <span>teammates</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’re just wasting my time!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I scooted back a little, a bit shocked at his sudden outburst, but it wasn’t as if he could do anything but yell from in there, so I just sighed and began shuffling, “So be it. I’ll play by myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “HEY!” the door behind me slid open, causing Loki to jump away from the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I slowly turned to see Thor running towards me, grabbing my shoulder and yanking me into a standing position. I scowled, swatting his arm off of me, “You made me drop my cards-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You cannot be in here!” he insisted, getting in my face, “Who even let you in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I... Let me in here,” I held up a plastic ID card, “I mean, this isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> card, but technically-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He snatched the card from my hand and inspected the writing on it, “Did you steal Agent Coulson's ID card?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I found it on the ground,” I lied, offended that he would even suggest such a heinous act, “I was going to give it back eventually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Doesn’t matter, you need to go,” he went to grab my shoulder again, but I jumped back, nearly tripping into the glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Under whose authority? Last I checked, you didn’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> status with SHIELD whatsoever!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Listen well, I am a god of Asgard, and this matter is none of your business.” I was all out of space to back up, now stuck between the wall and Blondie over here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sounds fake,” I grumbled, knowing full well that it wasn’t, “Let me play my game in peace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sounds fake?” he scoffed, shaking his head, “No, no, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thor</span>
  </em>
  <span>. ... </span>
  <b>
    <em>God of Thunder</em>
  </b>
  <span>? Surely you’ve heard of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, well in that case, I’m Cate, God of Leave Me the Hell Alone Please,” I joked, “And I may not be as powerful as you, but at least I don’t look like a Barbie who joined a bodybuilding contest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Snickering behind me turned my attention back to Loki, who was fully immersed in our bickering, “Oh, brother, are you just going to take that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I will be the better person, yes,” he huffed, “Now what did you tell her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “He didn’t tell me anything important,” I promised, “He just really hurt my feelings!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Dammit, Loki!” Thor shoved me aside so he could chew out his brother, “What have you done to this nice woman?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Nice woman? I’ve done nothing but bitch at him since he came in here. Where the hell did he get that idea?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Loki shot a glance at me, where I was trying not to laugh. Rolling his eyes, he groaned, “She’s being dramatic, all I did was refuse to play some ridiculous card game. How the hell am I supposed to play from in here anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, you could’ve just told me where you wanted to put the cards-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “But then you’d be looking at my hand the whole time.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  
  <span>“Fuck, my genius plan’s been foiled!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “That’s enough,” Thor decided, yanking me away and hauling my ass back towards the door, “You don’t need to be talking to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “UUUUGH!” I tugged against him, but it was no use. “Bye, Loki.” I waved obnoxiously as Thor pitched me out the door, “When you get out of there, give Rogers and extra punch for me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The door shut, sealing me and Thor outside. He crossed his arms, preparing a lecture. “That’s a horrible thing to say about your teammate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “We aren’t technically teammates,” I mumbled, “And I’ll say what I like. Besides, it’s just a joke, relax.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Good, well, I’m glad you’re unharmed,” he held out his hand, “Now that we’ve all calmed down and removed Loki from the situation, I’d like to re-do that introduction. I’m Thor Odinson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cate Sweadner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “A pleasure to meet you, Cate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Well of course it is!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Thate: The Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cate has something pretty unique in mind for the wedding's grand entrance. </p><p>Cate's POV</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>    The day of my wedding was drawing ever closer, and I still had a to-do list a mile long. Currently I was working on making sure the venue would be properly set up for the occasion, which wasn’t nearly as difficult as the stressful nightmare that was me finding a dress. I thought shopping was supposed to be fun, and yet I was probably banned from every bridal store on the planet at this point. Oh well, not like I’ll ever need to get married again after this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The ballroom was being set up for the reception while the outdoor space was being prepared for the ceremony, and I had been bouncing between the two locations constantly, checking in and critiquing things that needed to be changed. “Make sure those flowers are centered!” I called, directing the nearest unoccupied person to adjust them. Mostly, everything was slowly but surely coming together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I gave myself the task of attaching the ‘reserved’ signs to the first few rows of seats so that our family and friends could have a good view of the stage. The rest of Nyrheim, who had all been sent an invitation a few weeks ago, could file themselves away in the back however they saw fit. Once I was nearly done with the signs, Thor made another appearance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, there you are!” he was suddenly hovering in front of where I needed to put my last sign. “I looked for you in the ballroom, but you weren’t there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Yeah, how are things in there? Tablecloths nice and even? Floor appropriately shiny? How does the chandelier look?” I just reached around him and adjusted the final sign before stepping back to admire my handiwork.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “They all look fine to me, but you’ll have to make the final call on that.” He glanced down the rows at all my identical signs. “...You know you could’ve just put signs on the beginning of every row.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “....Dammit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “But it looks fine! I just wanted to see how everything was going with your planning. I know you’ve been a bit stressed lately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Stressed?” I scoffed, “I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>stressed</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m having the time of my life! Now, what do you think of the decorations in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Thor looked up at the golden ribbons spanning over the sky, blowing slightly in the breeze and filtering the sunlight. “I like it. Very pretty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Good, because if you hated it, I wasn’t going to change it now. Also, there’s one major thing I’d like to run by you. I’m sure by now you’ve noticed the exquisite aisle I’ve set up in the middle here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He nodded, “Yes, I have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Great, we’re not entering through there.” I began waving my hands excitedly as I vocalized my brilliant idea, “We’re gonna </span>
  <em>
    <span>exit</span>
  </em>
  <span> through the aisle together once everything is over. But Cate, where are we going to enter from? Well I’m glad you asked, Thor. We are entering from the SKY.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “The SKY!” I exclaimed, “Remember in Wakanda when we descended out of the sky in a storm of fire and lightning and it was basically the sexiest thing to ever grace this earth and all our enemies probably shit their pants at once?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I remember, yes. Are you saying we replicate something like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “YES! Imagine, if you will...” I slung an arm around him and used the other to dramatically gesture above the stage, “The whole audience is seated, practically bursting with anticipation! THEN! In the distance... the low, dramatic rumble of thunder. Everyone sits up in their seats! It’s come! The moment they’ve all been waiting for! More thunder! And then.... A glorious arc of fire and lightning splits the heavens and there we ARE! Descending from the sky like the majestic motherfuckers we are. IMAGINE! My dress blowing in the wind! A torrent of elemental chaos marking our descent! The crowd goes fucking BATSHIT!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Oh man, I know I’m asking for his opinion here, but if he says no, I’m probably going to start fake crying as I scoop up the remains of my shattered dreams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You know what? I like that. Let’s do it.” He grinned, giving me a thumbs up. “Now, what can I do to help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Uhhhh...” Let’s see... I don’t really trust him to check the lengths of the tablecloths or adjust any of the decorations, actually. But he can definitely lift things! “Here, you can help move in and set up all the speakers and mic equipment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Why do we have speakers and mic equipment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “The seats go back quite a ways and some of our speakers aren’t the best at projecting. Besiiiiides, we want everyone to hear, right?” I patted him on the shoulder and pointed him in the right direction. “They’re unloading it over there. Thanks so much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Not a problem!” he started off in that direction, but stopped and turned around, “Oh, by the way. Don’t be afraid to take a break if you feel like you need one. Everything won’t fall apart if you go rest for a couple of hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Thanks, but it definitely will, sooooo!” I laughed, “Now, I’ll be in the ballroom checking the shine coefficient of the floor if you need me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    After determining that the shine coefficient was up to code, I went around and checked every individual tablecloth. As it turns out, only 24% of them were uneven on the sides, which was better than I had expected. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    I was checking one of the last ones, with my head shoved mostly under the table, when someone behind me announced, “Your majesty!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “AH!” I shouted in alarm and jerked my head up, slamming into the bottom of the table. “FUCK!” I recovered as best as I could, straightening my posture and attempting to recline casually on the side of the table. Standing there was a man I sort of recognized, but not really. I think he’d been helping out with the preparations, although it’s not like I knew his name. He was expectantly holding out two laminated pictures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Sorry, are you okay?” he asked, probably silently judging me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “You know I’m not technically queen yet. You don’t have to call me that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I know, but I figured I’d get in the swing of things now,” he shrugged, “Besides, I really doubt you mind. Now, could you please tell me which centerpiece arrangement you like the best? People need to know so they can get them set up as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh.” I took both laminated cards from him and examined them carefully. They were both experimental arrangements I had set up in my free time, and I had been able to narrow my selection down to those two. “Hmm... I like the one with the gold candle in the middle. You know, with the black flowers? I really must hand it to myself, that’s a cool centerpiece.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He took the pictures back from me, “Ah yes, the one that looks kind of like a crown? Looks like I win my bet after all. Thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Before he could walk away, I shouted, “Hey! Whenever you guys put them up, make sure you measure inward from four equidistant points around the table. They need to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>in the center</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He looked like he wanted to say ‘oh my fucking god, why are you like this?’, but instead he just smiled, “Will do, your majesty. Good luck with the rest of the preparations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Haha, gucci!” I hit him with an okay sign before immediately retreating to the other side of the ballroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    In a few minutes, Thor came walking back in, enthusiastically asking for another task.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What?” I narrowed my eyes at him, “You already set all that up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Just how long do you think you spent checking tablecloth lengths?” he muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I dunno, ten minutes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Guess again.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  
  <span>“Twenty?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Forty-five.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Aw damn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    He fixed me with a confused stare, “...Why are you rubbing the back of your head?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, I smacked my head on the bottom of a table,” I casually admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cate!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I’ll live, calm down!” I insisted, “Now here’s what you can do. Go do the exact same thing you just did, except in here. The speaker equipment is a lot bigger this time and you’ll have to get it in the doorway, but I’m sure it’s no challenge for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I’m on it! And what are you going to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Go to the kitchen and finalize the cake design.” Oh shit, I suddenly remembered that I never cleared the cake design with him either. “You’ve seen the cake, design, right? You like it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No, I have not, but so long as you didn’t pick the draft that included an alien bursting out of it and blood spraying everywhere, I think it’ll be fine,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No, it’s not that one. But I still have that one hanging up somewhere.” It was in fact, a chaotic amalgamation of several different colorful cakes all stacked up, but he didn’t need to know that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I’m sure it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Great, see ya!” I barely made it five steps to the kitchen before he called after me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cate!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Whaaaat?” I slowly pivoted around on my heel to address whatever he needed to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Um, how are we doing vows exactly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What.” Oh FUCK. Vows. I completely forgot about vows. Ya know, THE ACTUAL MARRIAGE PART. “Can’t we talk about it later?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I mean, I was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>wondering</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he muttered, “You know, since this whole arrangement is a bit nontraditional.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “I’ll figure it out,” I assured him, “Don’t you worry. This is gonna be the best fucking wedding anyone’s ever been to!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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